CHAPTER 3 JUDGING
3. THE OLD TESTAMENT AND POVERTY
4.2. THE CHURCH'S CONTRIBUTION IN DEVELPOMENT To ensure that development takes place the church must do the following
4.2.4. Control
What the church needs to consider practicing in development is giving power of control to the people, where it belongs. Roodt (1996:318) contends that participation is access to and control ofresources necessary to protect the lives ofthe community. This statement recognizes that where the authorities control "on behalf of and for the people," there is no participation. One of the reasons why development projects fail is to a greater extent due to the reluctance on the part of authorities to give control to the community. Where there is no sense of control, there will be a sense oflack of ownership, and therefore little participation. Participation is linked to both control and ownership.
4.2.5. Initiative
What the church needs to acknowledge and act upon is that communities are able to initiate projects and to take control of their own lives. Therefore, its approach should not be one which identifies the needs of the community, planning the course of action, and managing, apart from the community. Thisapproach, according to De Beer and Swanepoel (1998:23), fails to acknowledge and accommodate the initiative and ability of people to take control of their own development.
4.2.6. Implementation
Itwas said above that the church needs to plan with communities. Itis also equally true that the church carry out implementation with communities. De Beer and Swanepoel(1998:23) correctly add that implementation cannot be regarded as "donkey work" while planning is a 'thinking activity" by professionals. These two cannot be separated. That means implementation cannot be relegated to any ofthe two; it is done by both the church and the communities in this case.
4.2.7. Evaluation
The church needs to involve communities in its evaluation. Evaluation cannot be done by the church or experts alone without the communities who are also members of projects. If empowerment is to be achieved it is imperative that all who have a stake in a project together conduct the evaluation, ifit is to be a beneficial learning process for all.
Whatall this means is that the church has to make it possible for men, women, youth, the illiterate, and all those previously disadvantaged in any form or manner, to participate in development.
4.3. SHORT TERM STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING POVERTY AND HUNGER This research adopts a two-pronged approach for fighting poverty in Thaba'Nchu. First, we propose some short-term strategies to address hunger. Second, in chapter 5, we propose medium- term strategies to address sustainable income generating projects for and by the poor. It is the resolve of the researcher that, while there is a need for income generating projects both for economic independence and empowerment, there is also an immediate need for food. People are starving now and desperate, and cannot wait for planning and implementation of each project for their hunger.
4.3.1. Food Aid to the poor
Literature abounds on the critique of aid to the poor in the form ofhandouts such as food, clothing
and shelter, among others (Community Agency for Social Enquiry 1998:48). Such a critique is based on the fact that handouts create in the recipients a dependency syndrome, andinstills in them a sense of powerlessness. Thisresults in the recipientsfailingto liberate themselves, since all their needs are being met. There is truth in the statement. However, each case should be judged on its own merits before a decision is made whether to allow aid to the poor or not. For we may ask, To what extent is aid to the elderly, the sick and children in remote rural areas going to make them dependent? The elderly, the sick and children are already in a state of dependency. The elderly depend on their children( who are adults) and children on their parents. In an African context children are a form of investment to their parents, parents depend on them in their adult life.
Parents are also there to ensure that their children are fed and schooled. The point that is made is that rural communities are "reservoirs" of the elderly, the sick, and children, who are battered by poverty more than their counterparts in cities.
This research advocates a strategy of addressing hunger where the poor will be aided materially, not for any other reason other than that they are starving. Aid to the poor will always be problematic to those who do not know poverty first hand, to those who describe poverty at a distance. Skweyiya in Paton (2001 :21), after having travelled extensively through the country and witnessed horrible scenes that "cannot leave my mind," argues: "I know people argue that it will make people very dependent. But when you look at the faces of the people, you find that they are very hungry. Sometimes you come to a meeting and find the meeting full. You think people like you. They don't. Yes, they have come to listen - but afterwards they just want to have some food."
That gives gravity to the question whether to provide aid or not.
The following steps are crucial in ensuring that hunger is stopped.
(a) Identifying the Poor
The church should call a meeting with communities. The question to be asked is '"who is poor?"
Itis generally known that with community poverty, there are those who are relatively poorer than others. There are also those who are relatively richer than others. The purpose of this meeting is to identifY those who are most in need in the community. This step is crucial, in that one avoids a situation whereby assistance is given to people who do not really deserve it, and that limited resources are directed to those who are mostly in need. The church cannot tell who is poor in the community, only the community can, since almost all families know each other. The tool that the community can use is that of mapping, although some use indicators such as the type of dwellings
and clothes worn by the poor, malnutrition, kwashiorkor, and the type of food (such as morogo, a type ofspinach) mostly eaten by the poor (Community Agency for Social Enquiry 1998:39).
Another way of identifying the needy poor is to identifY all these households who do not have any member of the family in full employment. To verifY this, the committee elected by the community will have to go house to house to ensure that indeed no member of the fumily is infullemployment, and that the circumstances ofthe household warrant assistance.
Preferential option should be given to the women and children who, according to Tsele (no date: 1) are mostly affected in rural areas. Rural women often lead households single-handedly and have to deal with provision of meals for the family, ensuring that there is water, firewood or cowdung.
These women are disadvantaged in many ways and have needs making it impossible for assistance to exclude them.
(b) Election of a Committee for Hunger
A committee of at least six people that includes women should be elected at such a meeting, comprising of the chairperson, the secretary, the treasurer and three additional members. It is imperative that the treasurer be a person who is literate so that he/she can read figures. The committee is responsible both to the community and to the church.
The purpose of this committee is:
1. To identifY the poor.
2. To keep the recordslbooks in order.
3. To assist the church in seeking aid and donations for the poor.
4. To distribute food to the poor according to the list in the records.
5. To raise funds.
These shall, in short, be the responsibilities of the committee.
A constitution shall be drawn up which shall be a guiding structure for the committee, and willalso serves as laws and regulations.
(c) Aidfor the Poor
It is the task of the church to ask for aid/donations in the form offood or money. Itis true that the task of the church is to minister to the spiritual needs of the community, but it is equally true that the duty of the church is to assist in seeking and providing food to the poor (Acts 6: 1-6). The church stands a good chance of doing that since it enjoys the trust of the community. Whilst most
organizations emerge and disappear on the scene, the church is one single organization that is forever permanent among, and with, the poor. Nfunberger (1999:371) refers to these strengths of the church as assets that no other secular organization in the periphery has. All these advantages of being built on a spiritual and moral foundation, of easy access and residence among the poor, and of having a good network among other agents of change makes the church the best organization to deal with and handle donations meant for the poor, be it money or food parcels.
The church and government need to be targeted for donations of food.
i) Government
The church should first target government, whose responsibility it is to support community initiatives through an enabling policy, provision of expertise, infrastructure, and finance (De Beer
& SwanepoelI998:35). That should pose few problems since Skhweyiya (in Paton 2001:21) made a commitment saying "government must intervene to stop people from starving to death either through the provision of food vouchers or a cash grant." What the church needs to do is to make formal representations to the necessary Department of Social Development. Once such resources are made available to the community, government should be excluded from handling and controlling such donations. Here we disagree with Jeppe (1998:34) who contends that the place of government in community development is, among others, to control. The responsibility of government should end with making resources available to the community. Itis the local people who will take responsibility for development. When aid has been given it will be under the sole control of both the church and the committee for hunger.
ii) The South African Council of Churches (SACC)
The church should target the South African Council of Churches (SACC) in the Free State who have the necessary developmental department which deals with, among others, aid to the poor. The South African Council of Churches has much experience of being engaged in community development schemes. In 1982, the SACC was already involved in helping the poor to feed themselves and to become more self-reliant (South African Council of Churches 1982:27). But even in the post apartheid South Africa this ecumenical movement still sees itself in a struggle not against apartheid, but against apartheid legacy (De Gruchy 1995: 12).
These resources which are available from the SACC can be channeled from the Free State Council of Churches to either the church or the committee for hunger, which will in turn make them available to the community.
ill) The Church in Thaba' Nchu
Different denominations which comprise the church in Thaba'Nchu have the muscle and the capacity to organize and to secure food aid for the community. Denominations shouldlinkup with their own higher bodies for food aid. For example, the Lutheran Church in Thaba 'Nchu can make requests to the diocesan level and the national level for food donations. If each denomination, in its own way, contributes to the food pool, the response will be overwhelming and hunger will be to a greater extent addressed. It is this advantage which Niirnberger (1999:371) refers to as
"networking," which is of benefit to the church in food aid.
iv) Food Outlets and Hotels
The other thing that could be done is for the church in Thaba'Nchu to make formal requests for food from the surrounding food outlets and a chain store. The Thaba'Nchu Sun Hotel which lies 27kms outside Thaba'Nchu, as well as Naledi Sun could also be of assistance. The request that is made here should be for food that is not good for selling but healthy for the body. The target should be for the type of food that they normally disposed of, but is still consumable. As the process offood donations goes on, the church should arrange storage and security.
Church buildings and traditional leaders' compounds could be of assistance in this regard. But one venue should be identified. The advantage here is that both are neutral areas and are most accessible to the communities,ifnot owned by the communities. The community shall decide who will be in charge of the keys to the storeroom to ensure accountability and responsibility. But clearly it should be someone who enjoys the trust and respect of the community.
Once it has been established that enough food has been collected for distribution, the church shall announce that, on the appointed standing day of the week and time, communities can collect their food parcels. As it has been discussed above, the distribution of the food parcels is the responsibility of the committee. The committee shall have organized food parcels into equal portions for only those people who registered their names. The committee shall ensure that food is given to the relatives of the poor household in the event where the registered person, due to illness, cannot avail himself or herself A register shall be brought to this venue to ensure identification and monitoring.
The second short-term strategy for hunger is that of food gardens which is discussed in the following section.
4.3.2. Food Gardens
The strategy discussed here, is how to make use of individual churches' lands or yards, private lands, and unoccupied lands which most ofthe time lie fallow, to ensure that there isfood available to fight hunger in the community.
(a) Church lands
The church should call a congregational meeting, for which the agenda will be making food gardens to fight hunger. The congregational council should make it clear in their announcement that at the appointed time and place a meeting to that effectwillbe taking place. There mustbe enough time between the day of the announcement and the actual day of the meeting.
At the congregational meeting a report shouldbegiven that the congregational council have availed the church yards to beused by the community. Itisimportant that this project involves people who are not only members ofthe congregation. Itshould be open to all members ofthe community.
The question that shouldbeasked at this meeting is "who is it that has an interest in making a food garden in the church yard?" Aswe already said above, the purposeisto identify people who want to make gardens, but also those who have an interest in doing that. We try to avoid a situation whereby people backslide as they have no interest in the project. Once people nominate themselves, their names are written in a register.
If it so happens that they are more than twelve members, that group should decide among themselves who is going to do what. Responsibilities should be shared among then. There is a need also for a meeting where they are going to strategize for the project.
Like anywhere else, for beginners thereisalways the need for training. If the group feels the need for training someone within the community who has the skill can be invited to train members.
Usually rural people have the skill of growing vegetables, and that can be used. Community development, if it is to survive, has to rely on local knowledge and resources, both human and material. In as far as collecting seeds is concerned, members of the group can make a contribution for that. The Farmer Support Group (1995:20) refers to the situation where women who engaged in gardens had to collect money from among themselves to buy seeds. On the question oftools, communities can use their own resources.
The ways of fighting hunger are varied and numerous. Communities can also embark on
"Eduplant," a project sponsored by the Department of Water and Forestry, which ensures that learners are taught about the importance of greening the environment (Agricultural News 2001: 10).
The benefit of this project is not only the growing of vegetables for food, but ensuring "green awareness" among communities. The advantage with this project is that it is financed by the Department.
(b) Private lands
Members of the community could even make use of their own yards to grow vegetable gardens.
The church should make communities aware that they have the resources to engage in vegetable growing. The church could do that by mobilizing communities around that idea All members of the community need tobebrought on board. Most communities afflicted by poverty have the yards to cultivate vegetables. Rural households are generally accommodated on bigger yards than we find in towns and cities where blacks stay.
Communities shouldbemobilized, and one ofthe ways to do so isby calling a meeting. The church can assist communities by making them identifY the assets that they already have for vegetable gardens. At these meetings, people who are skilled who also have ploughing instruments and knowledge can be identified, for the purpose of availing those gifts for the betterment of the community. To encourage and build capacity a prize shouldbeput up for the community gardener of the year. Communities are going to enter that race with the purpose of getting the first prize.
Thereisgoing to be a spirit of competition, which will ensure that energies are channeled towards the fight against poverty and community building.
We looked at the fight against hunger through the use of church and schoolyards and individual household yards. Let us see how communities can engageincommunity gardens using unoccupied lands.
(c) Unoccupied lands
The community garden project should be embarked upon by residents. Though the purpose, first and foremost, should be the provision of food it should also ensure renewal in the residential, economic, cultural and spiritual life ofthe community (Kretzmann and McKnight 1993 :318). This is best suited for the area to avoid situations whereby people throwaway rubbish in open spaces.
It needs to be mentioned that creating a community garden project is good for the life of the
community precisely because communities begin to take charge, in a sense, of their own lives.
Residents will begin to realize that the cleanliness of their environment depends both on the municipality and on themselves. They will take responsibility for all of their actions.
Again, community gardens relieve residents of dependence on towns for the supply of vegetables.
Economically, they are advantaged. This also ensures that money, which they would have spent, remains within the community. Community gardens are also good for the spiritual life of the community, as they afford the space for communication and the breaking down of stress and tension. As it was the case with other points made above, we are going to follow the following steps which are crucial to ensure that the process is successful: Identification of the space, acquiring the space, developing and sustaining the space.
i) Identification ofthe space
The church shall call a meeting ofthe community whereby the residents shall identifY vacant spaces in their surroundings. Since residents' knowledgeislimited in asfar as which vacant spaceiszoned for what and when, it is important that consultations be made with the municipality, who are in a position to inform reliably. Herein lies the essence and importance of partnership in development.
Once such spacehas been identified correctly beyond any doubt about its availability, the following stepwillbe necessary.
ii) Acquiring the space
Land in a residential area belongs to the municipality, but in rural villages the tribal authorities are in charge. No one can embark on any kind of project without negotiations with the relevant authorities. The residents can ask for the free lease of land, or ask for the use of it, so that it becomes the sole possessor. Acquiring the space should be formalized and documented to avoid conflicts and misunderstandings between the residents and the authorities. Once the spacehas been formally handed over to the residents, development can begin.
iii) Developing the space
Developing the space means that the residentswill have to decide whether they are going to prepare the ground themselves, or whether they are going to rely on the services of other role players such as Department of Public Works. To ensure that this project is sustained, residents need to rely on expert knowledge and experience of farmer support services, ifavailable. Expert knowledge is essential in this respect, as residents would be told about the status ofthe soil whichiscrucial for